ELD Petition

The following petition is aimed at all truck-drivers concerned with the upcoming implementation of the electronic logging devices and other provisions being mandated by the FMCSA in December 2017. We are currently highlighting the following issues. By signing this form we will be updating you about the current status, seeking your help in contacting lawmakers and officials in your communities, and building community and public support around the issue of truck drivers' dignity and rights.

Concerns around ELD and Federal Mandates:

Lack of Infrastructure for the Mandate:

One of the primary concerns around the implementation of the ELD and other federal mandates are the lack of transportation infrastructure to support implementation. Parking is extremely limited in California and most other states. There are fewer than 100 parking spaces for trucks that operated on the southward trip from Central California to Southern California and even commercial truck stops have very few options. With federal implementation of a a limited number of hours-of-service regulation, truckers will have to park on dark ramps since they don't have the flexibility to use their best judgement for appropriate parking. This leads to issues around safety.

Safety

There are two concerns around safety in the current way the ELD and other federal mandates are being implemented. Without the flexibility to use their own judgement for the most appropriate place to park, the race against the clock with limited hours-of-service regulation will lead to more truckers parking at dark ramps. For those that carry high-value loads, this is especially frightening as numerous truckers have shared stories of being followed for their goods or know cases of those that have been assaulted and in the worst circumstances killed, as criminals were aware of the contents in their trailers. The ELD and other federal mandates as currently written do not provide the flexibility to assuage the concerns for individual safety concerns.

The second concern around safety is the reason for the ELD, which was mandated to improve overall road safety. As truckers are paid by the mile and new regulations will limit the number of hours-of-service, without consideration of their long loading times at shippers and receivers, many will begin a race against the clock. This will counter the presumed goal of the ELD and new federal regulations. Even the current evidence provided by FMCSA states that stringent ELD implementation will save 26 lives per year, but this number seems to not take into account the current incentives for drivers who will always seek to maximize their mileage. Instead of battling fatigue, the current incentives will be to maximize their miles in a limited time that may in fact be less safe than current conditions.

Consumers Bear the Costs of Increasing Prices

Few other industries will be adversely affected as agriculture by the upcoming new federal regulations. For so many communities across the United States, especially the Central Valley in California, agricultural products are the prime engine of the economy. The increased costs of the ELD purchases and maintenances will inevitably be passed on to customers in the form of higher commodity prices. In an industry that already suffers from lack of truckers and where there is already a race against time to limit food spoilage, the current onerous federal mandates will make a bad situation even worse. There will be more food spoilage as truckers lose flexibility in how to best deliver their loads and there will be higher prices for all consumers.

Numerous Exceptions

Many owner-operators and small-fleet owners are especially concerned with what seems to be a double standard being implemented by the FMCSA. There seems to be two sets of rules - one for the small groups that account for the majority of the industry; and another set of rules for the large fleets that are highly consolidated but represent a minority of the total industry. ELD exemptions have already been made for United Parcel Services (UPS) that are not available to competitors nor owner-operators and small fleet owners. Other powerful fleets and special interest groups are continuing to receive delays or exemptions. The only connecting trend between the groups being provided various reprieves and those not receiving them, seems to be their size and lobbying might.